What happened to normality?
by enRei
Summary: Uzumaki is a normal, perhaps a bit depressive teenager. He is coping with a rush of 'bestfriendsforever' syndrome that took a liking to him all of a sudden, and don't get him started with a possessive asses. Then, out of nowhere, he's targeted. Why and just who wants to put an end to his life?
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything, except the story line. And a beach ball. **

**AU, OOC and OC warning ahead!**

**-PB-**

_If it looks like a duck, smells like a duck and tastes like a duck, then its chicken!_

It took him all of his strength and courage not to fall asleep. He fought the urge to just close his eyes and doze off, like he did in the previous classes. He couldn't let himself be beaten by a lack of good night sleep, not in this class. Mrs. Yorochi, better known throughout the school as Godzilla, was a fierce and strict teacher, especially towards this year's seniors. If she caught someone dozing off, blabbering or simply doing something that wasn't supposed to be done during here hour of torturing, she would snap. And boy, did she have a voice. Many wondered if, by some chance, she started her 'voice session' on top of the Eiffel Tower, would she be heard in US.

On top of her tight leashed rule over the school, she had a face to boot. Not. Even if she was only thirty years old lady, the time hadn't spared her. She had wrinkles all over her face, saggy skin and that _horrible_, greasy bleached hair. Not to mention those purple and green clothes she wore every day.

Naru sighed for the hundredth time that day, turning his head, finally deciding to give up. A minute later, sharp pain in his shin, and a cackling sound next to him, he was wide awake and glaring at his desk neighbor.

"Sorry dude, Godzilla is going to come in every second." Deciding against choking the brunette, Naru hummed disapprovingly. He was in need of assistance this time, so he let it go. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he swore to take revenge upon the idiot later on. The brunette, also known as the idiot, moron and other endearing names given to him by Naru, ignored another glare sent his way. He glanced over at the notebook in which his classmate, _what was his name again?_ , scribbled furiously. He was stunned by the little work of art in front of it, for it was the most hideous writing he had ever seen. If it was writing at all.

He grumbled, realizing that there was no way he would be able to read it, and straightened his body in the uncomfortable chair. Damn, they really needed to fix those, his backside hurt like a bitch.

All around him, his classmates were chatting happily; well, some didn't. Those some involved Mai and Ai… or was it Sen and Nero? Never mind that, those two dark headed twins were softly arguing about something. Taking in the numerous papers, books and notes, he concluded it was about school work. Irrelevant. Moving onto the next group, he recognized Sasuke Uchiha, Student Council President. He frowned. Of course, how could he not memorize that dashing hair, those obsidian eyes, ever present smirk on his pale face and perfectly ironed white shirt? Naru snorted, noticing the small number of his lackeys, many of them being love stricken girls. Naru was hundred percent sure they didn't belong in this lecture. Then again, who was he to judge?

Naru started turning his head back at his desk, when his eyes caught sight of those endless pools of black. For a second, both of them were only gazing at each other, when Naru decided to break up the little show. He plopped his head back at the desk, figuring the teen next to him will wake him up if Godzilla decides to grace them with her presence. For his sake, Naru hoped stupid would do it without any physical contact.

Soon enough he felt his shin pulsing again. He growled towards the brunette inaudibly, raising his head just in time to see Godzilla walking in the class. She sent a merciless glare their way, threw her bag on her desk and the torture begun.

**-PB-**

Naru sighed yet again. Like always, the lunch in cafeteria was mess. If it wasn't for those pleading, teary eyes of his something alike a friend, Naru was sure he would spend the recess back in the classroom, sleeping like a log.

He didn't have a clue about why Hinata dragged him along. Sure, they were first door neighbors, but that didn't mean they should act all buddy-buddy in school. Or outside it, for the matter. It seems since Hinata started high school, she spent all of her time with Naru. And honestly, it drove him crazy.

It wasn't like she was a drag; she was polite, shy and most important, silent. From the corner of his eye, Naru caught some of the juniors waving at them, beckoning her to sit with them. Hinata simply smiled softly and continued eating. And that situation repeated itself every single day. He carefully weighed the food in front of him. Some yellow and green stuff. He was still debating whether to act upon his wishes and eat it, when Hinata decided to voice her thoughts.

"It's mashed potato and peas." Glancing over at her watery lavender eyes, not bothering to raise his head from the table, he noticed the slight twitch near them. Sighing again, he got up in a sitting position and started eating the too much salted lunch. He knew he shouldn't have eaten it, but it was too late now. Hinata smiled approvingly before continuing with whatever she was doing. And that was reading a book while smashing the food into her mouth hastily. He was half way done with the food, when she stood up suddenly. Smiling apologetically at him, she said:

"Sorry Naru-kun, I have to go check something in the library." He blinked owlishly.

"Mmm… okay." He retorted, before focusing his gaze back to the now half eaten plate.

"We're still going home together, right?"

"…" She grinned.

"Great! See you later!" And with that, she glided out of the cafeteria. He didn't contemplate on this; he had better things to do. Like find some deserted place and sleep his fatigue off; the last period was P.E.

Quickly trashing the rest of his pitiful food in the can, he took off. He pretended not to notice the stares other students gave him; it wasn't a novelty actually.

After ten agonizing minutes, he had finally stumbled upon a deserted hallway. Naru threw himself at the window railing, and deciding it was good for a nap, he logged off from the real world.

Dreaming about purple toads and green canaries, he was shaken up from it by somebody hovering over him. Instantly opening his eyes, he was met face to face with the boy from earlier.

Chestnut eyes looked at him, sparking with interest. Bringing his hands to push him off, he caught the slight glimpse of amusement in them.

"Whoa dude, you're even worse than me!"

"Hm." Not knowing how to respond, Naru decided on a one syllable. Well, if he thought about it, it wasn't even a syllable. It was just a simple voice that conveniently sounded like it.

"I mean, I was literally shaking you like there's no tomorrow, and you were, like dead." Naru thought about that sentence for a second. And then, he thought about why the heck the idiot was still talking to him.

"And you were shaking badly, you must've dreamed 'bout something really nasty!" Remembering the purple and green dancing animals, he concluded it _was_ nasty. He let himself shiver.

He looked at the slightly purple face of the teen, slowly remembering he still didn't know his name, only then noticing his busted lip.

"What happened?" Confusion swirled inside of those dark orbs, before anger settled in.

"Some jerks think they can bully juniors."

"And you took upon acting as their hero?" Replied Naru sarcastically.

"You're damn right! Someone has to show those jackasses that mugging kids isn't right!" Naru inspected the face of his sudden acquaintance, even though he _still_ didn't know his name, and smiled lazily.

"I do hope they got the bitter end?" His companion grinned widely, slightly punching his shoulder.

"Hah! You should've seen them, they were, like, crying like little babies!" Then, he proceeded to tell Naru all about his magnificent hero act, dropping some facts about his morning rituals and nagging mom. Naru had a hard time trying to catch the point of it. In the end he found out that his mom nagged a lot about his school, he himself slept with a pillow sized stuffed panda, and that he totally owned those bullies asses. Naru had to admit, it was relaxing talking to him, even if he didn't understand his speech habits most of the time.

"I'm Kiba, by the way." Naru scrunched his eyebrows, clearly confused. How did they jump from the horrid lunch from cafeteria to the names?

"We never really introduced ourselves, so I thought… Anyway, Kiba's the name. Kiba Inuzuka." Naru mussed on that information.

"Isn't there a singer of some sort…?" The teen, now identified as Kiba, blushed.

"Yeah, I know. My mom adores him." Naru almost felt sorry for him. The silence settled between them, before Kiba broke it with his question. "What about you? I only know Godzilla calls you _Mister Uzumaki_." With an almost perfect imitation of her high pitched voice, Kiba ended. Naru turned his head to look at him before answering.

"Naru Uzumaki." He complied, fully intent not to tell him about those two letters after his name. There were only three persons in the whole universe who addressed him with his full name, and none of them were held dear in his heart.

"Cool! So, wanna hang out after school? There's this amazing arcade, they have, like…" Naru brooded over the invitation. It's not like he had any important stuff to do at the house, just some homework.

"Sure." He said, getting up from his seat. "You're paying."

Kiba grinned firstly, and then a shock consumed his features.

"What? C'mon man, that's not funny!" He yelled, running after the slowly disappearing figure.

"Life's not funny." Naru added, smiling affectionately at the now pouting brunette.

"You, like, seriously suck."

"Why thank you."

"It wasn't a compliment."

"I'm pretending I didn't hear that."

Both of them were now walking to their next period, smiling like two goons, bickering playfully on the way. Others were looking at them, probably wondering how the heck that happened. Naru himself didn't know how, but he sure was glad he had another companion inside these grey walls, other than Hinata.

Together they entered the class, still bickering. Naru casted a glance towards the stoic Student Council President, not alarmed by the freezing glare in his eyes, which was in turn slowly giving him a headache. He sent a lazy glare of his own and plopped down in his seat. Kiba continued humouring him with stories about awesome games at the arcade. Naru laid back in his chair, intently listening to the idiot, for he still was one, occasionally smiling, beckoning him to continue.

**-PB-**

After that damned P.E. which Naru spent lazing around the field, Kiba grabbed him and literally pulled him out of the school. Naru texted Hinata, letting her know he wasn't going to walk her today. That he did, just in case the girl decided to wait for him at the gate 'til the dark.

Arcade was, amazingly, good. Naru could honestly say the next two hours he spent there, along with Kiba, were the best he had in the last couple of years. He even let Kiba convince him to try DDR out, which he found surprisingly easy. Later on, the duo continued to the nearby Chinatown, where they filled their aching stomachs.

Well, Kiba did, Naru was still glaring at his dish. It smelled funny, even for his tastes, and he was intent on not putting any of it in his mouth. Kiba noticed his glaring contest with the piece of meat in his chopsticks. He rolled his eyes.

"It's only food dumbass, it's not gonna, like, attack you." Naru didn't move an inch.

"It smells… different." Kiba sighed.

"Well, yeah! It's Chinese." Naru was engrossed into his eye conversation with the little enemy on chopsticks. "C'mon mate, its only meat!"

Cautiously, he took a small bite, proceeding with chewing slowly, trying to identify the suspicious piece of meat.

"You know the saying: If it looks like a duck, smells like a duck and tastes like a duck, it's, like, a duck!" Kiba chuckled slowly. Naru glanced over at the dish, before whispering:

"It's chicken." Kiba face palmed.

**Rei: Throwing fruits and veggies at me is forbidden, just so you know. **

**As you've noticed, this a new story of mine, and I would like to get your opinion weather should I continue it, or not.**

**Second chapter should be out soon, so you don't get confused with this.**

**And, yeah, it's yaoi. It'll basically be _someguy_Naru, but I'm still not focused on a main one. Should we vote?**

**Let's see:**

**Sasuke**

**Kiba**

**Shikamaru**

**Gaara**

**Neji**

**Sai**

**Shino**

**Itachi**

**Kakashi**

**and some others...**

**We can't have a pairing with Kurama or Nagato, 'coz they are planned for something else. If you would like, there could be straight pairing, but not NaruSaku. I don't like that one, '****coz it's more like a sis-bro realtionship than anything.**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but a can of beer.**

**AU, OOC and OC warning ahead!**

**-PB-**

_Yeah, time travel and all that is cool. But what about my beef? It won't taste any good if it's reversed or goes forward!_

Two months later, and Kiba had been officially known throughout the school as Uzumaki's best bud. Many had pondered how a loner like Naru made a friend, others pitied the Kiba, and some were seething with anger. Nevertheless, the life moved on, and people started to occupy themselves with other worries.

Naru was, like always, lying atop of his desk, waiting for Kiba to march in, shouting his morning cheers like always. He was the only one present in the classroom at the moment, and it would take ten minutes for some other person to come. Naru closed his eyes, but as soon as he felt another presence, he opened them. Staring down at him was one Sasuke Uchiha, his smoky eyes piercing through Naru's blue ones. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Naru shivered.

"What?" He all but growled at the teen. Uchiha narrowed his eyes, his lips tightly closed.

"What are you doing, hanging around that mutt?" Naru's own eyes narrowed dangerously.

"He's my friend, Uchiha, in case you haven't noticed. And I would like for you not to insult them." Uchiha's hands clenched.

"He's bad news, don't…"

"What's the matter Uchiha? Can't handle the competition?" That seemed to hit a spot, because Naru found himself in raven's embrace, whose hands were painfully wrapped around his shoulders.

"Shut up." Without further ado, he smashed his lips against the smaller teen. Naru was frozen in a spot for a second, before his reason came back to him. He put his hands onto the broader torso, in attempt to push him away. His resolve seemed to abandon him, for he found himself responding eagerly to the kiss, clutching Uchiha's shirt, drawing him closer, and trying to deepen the kiss. It was a hard, desperate and somewhat forced kiss, but that didn't mean Naru hated it. The feeling of Uchiha's tongue roaming free through his wet cavern, playing with his own muscle was intoxicating. He liked the way Uchiha's long, elegant fingers run through his hair, his hot vanilla filled breath on his face, muscular body that was hovering over him, sucking him in… The grinding of Uchiha's knee against his crotch didn't help either.

Naru's hands quickly found their way up in that silky raven hair, tugging him closer, roughly. Instantly, Uchiha grabbed his hips, shoving him up the wall. Breaking the kiss, he hastily started trailing hot, butterfly kisses down Naru's neck, sucking and nibbling teasingly. A soft mewl escaped Naru's reddened lips, but he paid it no head. It only spurred Uchiha to continue. He licked his way up to the ear lobe, nibbling on it playfully. Naru groaned, feeling his way onto Uchiha's shoulders.

Two pair of eyes connected, two heated and clouded gazes, before they attacked each other lips again. Naru 'beeped' into the kiss when he sensed a strong pinch in his lower region. Not one to be teased, he nipped Uchiha's nipple, twisting it around, earning himself a healthy groan.

The moment he heard footsteps in the hallway, he pushed Uchiha off him, instantly trying to correct his clothes. Avoiding Uchiha's questioning gaze, he sat down, lowering his head at the wood. Uchiha went at the back, where he usually sat, leaving a breathless and utterly ashamed Naru behind him. A group of students entered through the door, chatting mindlessly between themselves. Soon, Uchiha's table was cluttered with fans, wishing him a good morning. All the while, Naru could feel his heated gaze on him, making the pleasant shiver run down his spine.

"**GOOD MORNING, MY ANTI-SOCIAL DUCKY!**" A load roar, followed by an appearance of an idiot Kiba. Naru sighed in relief, feeling a steady rhythm in his breathing.

"Good morning to you too, my mentally deranged chicken." Kiba hopped over to their desks, slightly pouting.

"I'm not mentally deranged!" He gasped in mock hurt.

"I'm not a ducky." Kiba chuckled, dishevelling Naru's sunshine locks.

"Oh, but you are! Not only are you an alienated ducky, but you're also socially stunned!" Naru's eyebrows started twitching in annoyance.

"Oh really? At least I know how to DDR." Kiba put a hand over his chest, his face becoming a painful mask. All in good joke, of course.

"Ah! You have hit where it hurts the most!" Ever since that day at the arcade, Kiba was obsessed with dragging Naru over and over again. Somehow, they always ended up playing DDR, and somehow, Naru always won.

**-PB-**

For the rest of the day, Naru had whole heartedly avoided being in the same room with the Uchiha, or even locking blue with black together. As usual, for it became so, Hinata, Naru and Kiba were sitting on the widow seal, in the east part of the school. Kiba, who, Naru remarked, had developed a crush on Hinata, was humouring them with his never ending stories; Hinata was listening intently, at the same time reading a book, and Naru was sleeping. This time, he dreamed of trains. Snapping himself from his daydream, he quickly turned his attention to the duo beside him. It was clear Hinata was somehow entranced in the book, and there was no way either of them will talk to her any time soon. Kiba was disappointed by that. For about five seconds, until he saw Naru up and awake. Thus, he continued with his adventurous trip to the Cedar Point. Lucky Naru.

By the end of P.E. where Naru, again, wandered around, Kiba managed to earn himself a nice bloody knee. There were people surrounding him from both sides, so Naru had to push some in order to get to him.

Down there, sitting in the grass was his ever happy friend, glaring daggers at the Uchiha. Naru sucked harsh breath in, instantly knowing what happened. Uchiha was smiling apologetically at him, and his lackeys were grinning coyly.

"Excuse me, Inuzuka-san; I really had no intention of pushing you." Kiba humped; catching Naru's outstretched hand to steady him.

"_Riiight_." Naru whipped his head around, only to send the Uchiha a warning look, before trotting alongside with Kiba to the infirmary.

"Can you believe that bastard? He kicked me down intentionally!" Oh, Naru knew he did, but who was he to judge? "Stupid ass. If this stuff happens again, I'm gonna…"

"Good day, gentlemen." Both of them froze on the spot, not recognizing the voice. It was cold, harsh and metallic; and it invoked unpleasant goose bumps on their skin.

There, in the whiteness of the infirmary sat a man, hardly older than them, with shoulder length silver hair in a white doctor's coat. He eyed them carefully, and in those endless pools of dark Naru couldn't see a single emotion.

"Who are you?" Asked Kiba, slightly confused. "Where's Shizune-san?" The man rose from the chair, taking a swift, somewhat elegant, stroll down to the cabinet.

"Shizune-san is on a maternity leave. I am the new school doctor. You may call me Yakushi-san" He turned to them, and slowly pointed at the bed.

"Do take a seat, Inuzuka-san. I need to cleanse your wound." Finding it odd he knew his name, but not acting on it, Kiba threw his bum on the bed. Shortly after, Yakushi-san started with disinfecting the wound, while Naru busied himself looking around. Not that he has never been there; trust him, he _has_.

When Yakushi-san finally finished patching up Kiba, he slowly turned to the blonde, glancing questionably at him.

"No injuries?" Naru waved his head. He nodded swiftly, before walking them out to the door.

"Goodbye, Inuzuka-san, Uzumaki-san." Naru's eyes narrowed, but before he could make a comment about him knowing their names, he shut the door in their faces. Kiba and Naru shared a look, one of disbelief, before they proceeded to the locker room.

Deciding upon not to take showers, as to not aggravate Kiba's wound, they changed into their normal clothes quickly, before dashing off to Kiba's favourite arcade. Or, as it was like that now, _their_ favourite arcade.

This time was a bit different, Naru concluded. Firstly, they stayed only an hour (all the while DDRing), which was strange. Naru has gotten accustomed to spending three to four hours there, for the arcade had its all cafeteria. So, after that one hour, Kiba had dragged him off to a small and smelly restaurant called _Fort_.

Naru was on a verge of crying out loud; the place smelled of rotten eggs and corpses, but Kiba wouldn't have any of it.

"Mate, you gotta learn to look beyond what you see." Naru gave him a sceptical look.

"You've been watching Lion King again, haven't you?" Kiba blushed slightly, tipping his lips with a finger.

"Umm… Maybe? " Blonde rolled his eyes, noting in the back of his mind to lay Kiba of Disney's.

The darker of them pulled him to the table on the farthest right, where two boys were occupied. The brunet with spiky hair tied in a ponytail was slowly dozing off, occasionally changing his sleeping pace; right side, left side, face down or simply slumping down in his chair. The other, rounder, boy was eating furiously, he seemed like he hadn't seen food in a while. There were some strange swirls on his cheeks; then again, Naru had whiskers, so he shouldn't be one to tell.

The eating machine raised his head, smiling brightly (thankfully, with his mouth closed) at them.

"'**Iba!**" How did he manage that? Kiba high-fived outstretched palm, before pushing Naru and himself next to them.

"Hiya Chouji! How's it going?" The round ball, Chouji, shrugged.

"Is cool." Naru had an uncanny feeling someone was… _inspecting_ him. He turned just in time to be welcomed by cold, dark eyes. Many seconds passed, blue and black eyeing each other, before the latter sighed.

"You going to introduce us or what, Kiba?" The dog lover, which Naru found out to be true and a little bit obsessive for that matter, yipped happily.

"Chouji, Shika, this is Naru Uzumaki, my new bud!" Shika, the lazy bum, glanced back at him.

"Naru? Isn't that chick's name?" The blonde sighed, having heard that one too much in his lifetime.

"Actually, name's Naruto, but **never**, under any circumstances call me that." They got the underlying message, which suited him just fine.

"So, Naru, how come you're hanging with this moron?" was Shika's first question.

"_Hey!_"

"Everybody needs his dose of stupidity, once in a while." Kiba pouted, turning his head away from them. Shika chuckled, satisfied and humoured by the answer.

"True, true. You also a student of that prestige school?" Naru frowned, before nodding. "I take it you're not that bewitched with it?"

"If I had any saying in that matter, I would be far, _far_ away from it." Chouji nodded.

"Yeah, Shika's mum wanted to enrol him there too, but dropped it after she heard about their 'bully program'."

Ah yes, the 'bully program'. Naru found it quite fascinating. If you were of poorer statue and less bluer blood, you were sure to be included in that special program. Naru himself went to some of those _meetings_, before they kicked him out of it. Shika sighed, before answering:

"Mum's never been good with Uchiha's." Ah, that brought the _real_ problem. Not only did they hold the majority of state's economics, but they also ruled the school. If you were a sore in the eye for any Uchiha, you should start counting your days and write a will, if you possessed anything. Naru had to admit it, being an occasional buddy for the Uchiha's youngest did help him with _Bullies Anonymous_.

"Kiba didn't have any saying in that matter, either." Kiba started sulking at Chouji's sentence. Naru gave him a look, feeling something spreading through his chest, warm and… Was it something he ate? Or this horrible smell?

"Yeah, mum thought it'll be good for my future." Seeing as his newest best friend was getting jumpy and nervous, Naru decided to interfere.

"Has anybody watched the documentary last night?" That seemed to catch Shika's attention, and the two of them hit it off, talking animatedly about the crazy time travel theories. By the end of their lunch in the foul flavoured room, Naru exchanged numbers with the duo, and got a promise extracted from him to meet tomorrow. Which wasn't all that bad, he really enjoyed talking with Shika about physics; not to mention he found a fellow ski jumping supporter in Chouji. The only bad side of that was their meeting place; _the Fort_.

**-PB-**

**A/N I actually watched one documentary where some guy, with the help of the light and Einstein's theory of relativity, created something alike time machine. Let me give you an example which he gave- imagine the cup of tea is **_**time**_** and a spoon is **_**light speed**_**. When you move the spoon inside the cup, it makes tea flow. However, if you add a sugar cube to the equation, aka **_**an inanimate object**_**, it will move in the opposite direction than the one spoon created. Sadly, it was never tested how will affect a living being; for it could probably change the subjects whole system (destroy his regeneration, metabolism and more importantly, his cells). That and they cancelled the sponsorships, 'coz he was supposed to investigate black holes with the money, not time traveling.**

**Rei: SasuNaru moment here does not mean they are the main pairing. They are just, as I said, occasional buddies. Later, I will explain how they came to be what they are. Also, as you see, each chapter will bring forth other supporting **_**or**_** main characters, as well a little on the side from already known ones.**

**Naruto: Is that all?**

**Rei: Yes, I believe so.**

**Naruto: Then, on to reviewing. **

**Rei: And don't forget to vote for your favourite seme!**

**Naruto: Or uke.**

**Sasuke: You better vote me, or I'll ki…**

**Rei: Sayonara!**


	3. Chapter 3

_You go eat your green stuff; I'll stick with my cholesterol-full fat tuna sandwich._

* * *

><p>Three weeks have passed, and the four 'friends' could be found meeting every day at the <em>Fort<em>. Naru has pretty much got used to the smell 'coz he spent half of his day time there. And even when he left, _the smell_ followed him everywhere. The first week he could be found scrubbing every inch of his body, getting rid of it. The uniform went through the same ordeal. Later, he concluded it wasn't worth it, not when Kiba came to school smelling like he jumped out of the dumpster. So, he stopped doing it, figuring that he had nobody to impress there; not when his newly made friends not only smelled like him, but also didn't mind it.

Sure, the students were avoiding him in a bigger circle now, but not like it was a surprise. Also, one time Uchiha approached him, he went running, looking quite green, to the bathroom. Yay for no molesting!

So, in the end, _the smell _was dubbed useful, so it stayed. And boy, did Naru wear it proudly.

Shikamaru was a genius, was what Naru found out quickly; he could respond to any logical and illogical question given, had a photographic memory and was a pretty memorable strategist. That is why Naru found himself spending most of his conversational skills discussing physics with him; they were both suckers for it. While playing shogi, that is. Another thing they had in common, they both liked strategic and mind-confusing games like Sudoku. Naru had to admit, it was a nice change of pace he had going here than the one three months before. The only thing that should bug somebody was his unbelievable laziness- the guy didn't know boundaries when it came to it. If life was to be spent like he intended to, we would all be lazing around, sleeping and cloud watching. Not that Naru had anything against it; that was a pretty good motto he had.

Chōji, like previously concluded, was an eating machine. Thankfully, he never dropped the bill on others and was even generous enough to treat them all. Every time. Turned out he had dozens of free coupons for the _Fort_, but a free meal is a free meal? Not that Naru ate that much, he still had a problem with digesting unknown food, but was happy to know that someone would do such thing for him. He couldn't remember the last time somebody bought him food, before he met Kiba. Mmm… Ah yes, Uchiha did, back in the middle school. Wow, time sure does fly fast!

So, back to Choji, the boy lent him some cool ski jumping tapes, advising him to watch them. Even if Naru was a fan he rarely caught any action, and was pleased to find almost all the big shots taped by him.

The four of them were always sitting in the previous mentioned restaurant, Choji eating, Shikamaru napping, Kiba yelling and Naru frowning. Remember his food thing? Well, they just served him some suspiciously looking dish, though Choji claimed it was good, and he was not too sure about eating it. Seeing Choji stuffing his face with the stuff _didn't_ help at all.

Thus, Naru made friends, which was quite unusual for him. But it worked, so he didn't worry.

Today, however, unlike any other day, they weren't supposed to meet at _Fort_, no. Earlier that day, Shikamaru told Kiba to come to the local coffee shop – _Red Velvet_. Naru knew that café, oh he knew it well. He did not like to think about it, for it involved Uchiha's youngest the most. Seeing Kiba's happy, out of this world, face he pushed memories aside. In their own manner, bickering and teasing, they went.

Shikamaru was drooling all over the table at the far end of the shop; his eye lashes occasionally twitching. Choji was nowhere to be seen, but after spotting three bags of chips on the previously mentioned table, Naru concluded he was near.

"Yo, Shika man!" Was Kiba's loud and disturbing yell. Even Naru winced. Shikamaru lazily raised his head, blinking rapidly. When he spotted them nearing, he returned Kiba's greeting with a wave. It was more like a twitching of his hand, but it counted. Naru gave him a slight, warm smile, before taking a place across of him.

"Hey Shika."

"Hey Naru." The end. What Naru loved the most about Shika was that if he wasn't utterly bored or worried; he wouldn't make Naru, or anybody, indulge in a meaningless conversation. Unfortunately, Kiba was not the one for silence.

"Yo, Shika! Why'd you call us here, man?" Shikamaru's eyebrow jerked a little. Whether from irritation or Kiba's loud voice, Naru wasn't sure. He was having a hard time stopping himself from wincing at the tone. Shikamaru sighed, looked over his shoulder and said:

"Ino said she wanted to meet Naru." Naru's eyebrow rose questionably. Look who's getting popular nowadays. Shikamaru groaned. "Look, I might've slipped in front of her that about you being our new bud and going to _that_ school, so she…" Naru looked at Kiba, who was slightly paler that usual. Taking in both of their reaction, it seemed they knew her well. "And Ino might've brought Sakura too… Oh man, what a drag."

Kiba chuckled, but that was quickly interrupted by a shrill voice:

"Shikamaru! Kiba!" A flash of purple and yellow, and all three of them were looking at a girl their age. Like Naru, she was a blonde haired beauty with slightly paler eyes than his. She wore slim, purple dress, high heels and a seductive smile. Naru shivered; he knew that smile. This girl was a vulture, and her newest pray was obviously Naru.

"I haven't seen you in so long…"

"I live next door Ino..."

"Shut up Shikamaru." She barked, before turning to Naru. She gave a dazzling smile to him. "I'm Ino. Yamanaka Ino. You must be Naru." He nodded, taking her smaller hand into his, shaking it carefully.

"_Yamanaka Flowers_?" Naru asked, remembering the flower shop near the café. She grinned gleefully, sending a fleeting glance at the quickly dozing off brunette.

"Yes, mum is leading the business. I sometimes do part-time there…" She sat next to Naru, grinding her curved in all the right places body into his, her hands closing around his. "Of course, it's a _drag_, but I have no choice, my allowance comes from that place. But enough, tell me…" Naru inwardly groaned, he knew what her next question will be; girls like that only thought about one thing, and that was… "Are you single?"… Boys. He stopped himself from rolling his eyes at her expectant and smoldering gaze; really, were all girls the same blood sucking vultures?

"Yes, I am single." He answered and regretted it instantly. Her lips stretched into a content smile, her pale eyes burned with intensity and finally, her spidery hands rested itself on his thigh. _Danger!_ His brain screamed, but no matter how much he found this uncomfortable, he couldn't do anything. These guys were his friends, and Ino was their friend; that meant, no messing with her. Sometimes, he hated the code.

"Lovely." She chirped and continued talking in a very sexy (or so she thought) voice, telling him about where she went to school, how popular and wanted she was, how many girlfriends she has, how many boyfriends she had, how unfair life was to the poor boyfriend less girls and so. Naru was now convinced Shika was always sleeping because, even when not near her, he constantly heard her voice at the back of his head. She stopped only once, to greet Choji who returned from the toilet, before latching onto her newest prey (Naru) and talking his head off.

While the rest of the group chatted/eaten/slept, Naru was stuck with amusing the other blonde; which was a dreadful job. Then the unthinkable happened; Ino shut up. And for a whole of three minutes.

Naru turned to see what was so interesting that caught her attention, and when he did he wished he hadn't. In walked the Student Council President, Sasuke Uchiha, in all his smirking and dark glory; sprouting a new girl on his right arm. His constant lackeys, a pale guy named Suigetsu and a bulky teen known as Juugo were there alright; Suigetsu with his girlfriend/enemy Karin and Juugo with his pet bird that followed him everywhere. Kind of like Uchiha's fans.

The girl hanging off Uchiha was a beauty indeed; she had pale, marble like skin, big emerald eyes, rosy cheeks and shoulder length pink hair. OK, apparently, Uchiha was into punk now. Uchiha's black pools scanned the room, only stopping on the azure eyes of Naru's. He sent him a smirk, before he noticed the girl beside him. Uchiha's features froze, and Naru was twirling around in his head for being able to surprise him. The pinkette turned to see what got her newest boy so stunned. She locked her gazes with Ino and a clear annoyance could be seen in those emeralds. Naru groaned inwardly again, great a cat fight in sight. This was so not in his plans when he woke up this morning. Or in this life at all. The five of them (six, if you count the blue bird perched up on Juugo's shoulder) waltzed towards their table. Naru looked back at Kiba, who was pouting in displeasure. Shikamaru, almost as if he felt it, woke up and was now looking at the newcomers. Choji was still happily eating his chips. Naru envied him.

He almost cried when he felt Ino's grip on him tightening; she was glaring daggers at the pinkette. The five (six) stopped in front of them, Uchiha and Karin glaring, Juugo dazed in his world, Suigetsu grinning and Sakura with a smug look on her finely sculptured face.

"Oh, Ino never thought I will meet you here." An obvious lie, which all of them felt. Ino scoffed.

"Knock it off, Forehead-girl. You know I always come here after work." The pinkette, or forehead-girl as Ino dubbed her (to which Naru gave her an invisible high-five; she did have a huge forehead) grimaced, her arm still not letting go of the Uchiha.

"I could've sworn you went home by now, Pig." Ouch, Naru thought. He himself very much knew the delicacy of twisting ones name meaning, so he sympathized with the blonde girl. Almost as is sensing it, Uchiha's lips found their way into a smirk, narrowed eyes watching Naru amusingly.

"I'm stunned with your appearance here, _.To._" Oh, the fucker is sooo going down!

"You are welcome to fuck off bastard, if my presence bothers you." He could see the innuendo of his words finding their way in his twisted brain. The pinkette and Karin rounded on him, both of their glares accusing.

"How dare you speak like that to Sasuke-kun?"

"You are not even worth to _be_ in his company, you low…"

"Quite right you are." Naru chipped in, confusing everyone around them. Kiba sent him a questioning look, but he disregarded it. Uchiha was looking at him, quite much amused. "So why don't you steer his pale bastardy ass out of here, where I have contained the air with my low-life germs?" A self-inflicted assault never sound that good. Suigetsu and Kiba were snickering by now, while the two girls bristled with anger. Ino was chuckling and for the first time, Naru acknowledged it as a pleasant one.

"You're just jealous because Sasuke-kun will never hang around with the likes of _you_." Kiba and Ino were itching to shut her trap, preferably with a fist. Naru shrugged, sending a warning look to the Uchiha.

"_Hanging around_ Uchiha is so down on my list that it's non-existent at all." Uchiha's eyes glowed dangerously. Pinkette's jaw clenched.

"Listen here, idiot…"

"Never knew Uchiha was that much of a weakling, that he needs stupid little girls to defend his battles." That shut her up. Uchiha growled:

"Watch it Uzumaki. One of these days, you will wish you never talked to me…"

"I started regretting the decision to speak to you back in the kindergarten, Uchiha." That obviously knocked them all off; who knew a loser like Uzumaki was the prestige Uchiha's childhood friend. More like acquaintance, Naru mussed in his mind.

It was clear to him Uchiha was fuming with anger, but Naru knowing him all too well he knew Uchiha will not make a scene. So, when they sent a leer their way and disappeared from the café, Naru was not surprised. Uchiha will finish their battle in private, he knew.

When he focused back on his friends, he found all of them (sans the sleeping Shikamaru) gapping like fishes at him. Ino turned to him, her eyes glowing with happiness and pride and gave him a crushing kiss right on his lips.

"God, you're awesome! I never saw somebody tramp over that little bitch in seconds!" Naru smiled weakly at her, still confused by the kiss. What the hell, was this a Kiss-Naru month? Ino was chuckling evilly, rubbing her hands. "Oh, this is good. That stupid Sakura thought she could beat me by getting an Uchiha to date her. But now, that I have you…" She sent him a joy filled look which scared him a bit. "You, who even stomp over an Uchiha… No doubt, the victory shall be mine!" There, he started laughing maniacally, scaring the crap out of Naru and Kiba. The blonde turned an accusing glare towards the now awake brunette. He sighed, seeing the apologizing look in his face.

While he was thinking about how to get the hell out of Ino's grasp, she kindly notified him to meet her the next day at the cinema. Naru sighed. He really could've survived without this, really he could.

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><p><strong>AN: According to my respectful reviewers, the poll results go like this:**

**SasuNaru: 1**

**KibaNaru: 1**

**ShikaNaru: 1**

**You do not have to worry yourselves much, nothing is certain yet. Firstly, I have to introduce other characters – and as you can see a lot of them are missing. So, vote on and I'll make sure to write on!**


	4. Chapter 4

_It's not like I care what happens to your measly egg sandwich. As long as it's not my bacon one._

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><p>"And, I was like 'C'mon girl, you should totally buy it!' and she being the cheapskate didn't! Can you believe it?" <em>No more so than actually listening to this<em>… Naru thought, but never voiced his annoyance. Partly in fear of being eaten by this hot vulture, partly because he got himself into this; if he just kept his mouth shut, everything would be fine. But no, he just _had_ to diss an Uchiha in front of his rabid fan-turned-hater. Just his luck… Was it just him, or this seemed to become his somewhat of a catchphrase lately?

In the last couple of weeks that he knew Ino, she has turned his world upside down; starting with her decision to be his girlfriend, which he didn't want at all. He may have been bi, but he was more homo than hetero… And he didn't want to be in any kind of a relationship, whether it was a girl he dated, or a guy.

But, he being lucky as he was, she, or fate, would have none of that; she regularly pulled him out of his house for dates; walking down the park, going to a Ferris wheel, mall (where they ended on every single one of their dates) or dinners. Usually, while doing so, they were together with the rest of Naru's newly made friends; Kiba, Shika and Choji. It turned out Ino was Shika's and Choji's neighbor and childhood friend, and she liked hanging with them just the same as she did back then.

Naru found this strange- his childhood friends and he never had a good history or future to turn to. But then he remembered the Uchiha brothers who actually _were_ his only childhood friends and found it not so weird for not being able to comprehend the bond Ino had with her past. He hated his, and tried as mighty as he could to forget it; Ino loved every second of hers and yearned to surpass the greatness it presented.

Sometimes, they would meet at the _Fort_, its wonderful and unforgettable aroma lifting their moods and downing their appetites… Choji was uncountable in that department. And when Ino got sick of the smell, or decided she was off whatever diet she tried that week, they would go to _Red Velvet_. There, where every waiter/ess knew the platinum blonde, they usually stuffed their stomachs, free of the agonizing smell.

Well, them. Naru still had problems with eating unknown food and no number of efforts on Kiba's and Choji's side could help him. If forced, he had a habit of puking it all back. That made them lay of a little; for the sake of their own and other customer's digestive tract. That suited Naru just fine.

Ino wasn't _that_ annoying. She could be sweet and docile when she wanted (and that usually meant new dress/shoes/bag), and when Naru deemed it worthy to talk she listened. The thing about her that was bothering him was her constant babbling; it's like she's on drugs! It didn't matter what the topic was, she could talk about anything for hours! It kinda reminded Naru of him, when he was just another bratty kid who didn't know the dangers of the world. The similarity between the talkative and naïve Ino and his child self was what made her more bearable; he couldn't stand to see her crushed, like he was. And she was hot, which was just a plus. Not to mention she had a good kissing skill; somewhere near Uchiha's maybe. Hey! No matter how anti-social, introverted and weird he was, he was still a teenager with hormones!

Being the godson of one of the biggest perverts on the world did not help his case at all; the old man made sure to educate him well about the delicateness of one's body and sensuality long before he even knew what that meant.

So, Naru found it quite hard to not like the girl. He silently complied with her advances. If you get past having to spend your time with another human being non-stop, it was nice having a girlfriend. Something half of the school disagreed with… OK, so it was mostly Uchiha and his followers, but then again everybody listened to Uchiha.

From that day in _Red Velvet_, where Uchiha has witnessed Ino's growing likeness towards Naru, things started to get rougher. It began with more cornering Naru on each step he took; trying to ravish him (the smell did his wonderful work once again) and more anonymous bullying. Not that it was serious, just a little snicker, kick and small prank on the way. It did unnerve the blonde a little, especially when they involved Kiba in his business. But the dog-lover said he was cool with it; it just proved that Uchiha was a sore loser. Naru thought how Kiba didn't even know the half of his soreness.

And then, a combination of a nightmare and a dream come true, happened. Ino decided to pay him a visit. In his school. During P.E. She gave him a big, wet and lengthy kiss in front of his classmates. If looks could kill, Uchiha would be long gone in jail, rotting. Or not, considering his ties and wealth. Anyways, the black haired Uchiha youth glared at her, and he glared hard. Naru could swear Ino was starting to get goose bumps out of the intensity of it. He did after all, his hairs healthy stood out to greet the killing intent Sasuke Uchiha was letting out.

Somewhere along the '_Die bitch!_' and '_Be gone, wrench!_' glare-looks Uchiha was emitting, Ino became reasonable enough to detach herself from the blonde; but still held onto him tightly. Kiba, who was bouncing around playing with the way too old looking ball, made their way towards them; grinning like a kid who heard Christmas came early this year.

"Ino!" He yelled, high-fiving her nonchalantly; she returning it with vigor.

"Dog-breath!" The two started talking/babbling animatedly with each other, thankfully letting Naru out of it. He yawned healthily, mussing over the school brake that was nearing up quickly. Spending it trapped in his room, surrounded with a well-known food, games and drinks should suffice, right?

Wrong; Ino and the gang had different plans about how exactly the brake was supposed to be spent. Something including the beach… Wait, the beach?

Wracking himself free from Ino's grasp, somewhere in the back of his mind noticing the gleeful look Uchiha gave off; he turned his unnaturally wide eyes to her.

"You want me to go… to the… beach?" He whispered the word carefully. She nodded, confused, her equally blue eyes sizing him up in question.

"Yeah. It would be so cool if…" He waved his head in negative response; not caring that much right now about the shocked look Kiba was giving him.

"I can't go." He knew Uchiha was smirking somewhere behind him, and he also noticed the shocked looks his girlfriend (it was still weird for him to be calling her that) and his best-friend (not that weird) were giving him. They were probably thinking along the lines why couldn't he go there. It was quite simple actually.

"Why not?" Kiba barked- not pleased with a refusal.

"I'm hydrophobic." He supplied them with an answer. OK, so not the whole truth, but he was a bit aqua phobic. It had to do more with him getting cramps in the much cold water, but still.

Ino's eyes widened, before pity over took her looks.

"Oh Naru! I'm so sorry, I never imagined…!" She was, yet again, stuck to his arm, squeezing the life out of him. Lovely. Kiba was looking at him similarly, and gave him a pat on the shoulders. Uchiha was torn between killing Ino and laughing out loud. Naru dearly hoped he will not; it would most probably ruin his image.

He didn't. Thankfully. He just gave another glare of death and walked away, satisfied with Naru's face of misery while being held by Ino.

Acting swiftly and (now that he thinks about it) way out of his character, Naru pulled Kiba and Ino with him- hurriedly walking towards the back of the school. He disregarded the warning yells P.E. teacher was giving him.

Maito Gai sighed; that boy was as lethargic and monotonic as his longtime friend and rival. He sometimes wondered if it was infectious- but then again, he was as youthful as he was the time he met him.

Naru turned to his best friend and girlfriend (_wince_), regarding them with a small sized glare.

"Idiots, do you wanna make enemies out of Uchiha?" Ino pouted, but kept her mouth shut (Naru couldn't believe she wasn't talking his ear off), but Kiba decided to voice his displeasure. By acting bravado, as always.

"Ha! That pansy duck-butted bastard can't scare me off!" Naru sighed yet again- he liked Kiba, really, but sometimes his stupidity knew no boundaries.

"Really?" A voice, slightly huskier than of a normal teen, came from behind them. Kiba yelped and turned. Ino decided to act more feminine, so she shrieked. Naru simply grunted a response.

"Neji." A long haired brunette, with pale- almost lilac eyes, came from the shadows of the buildings. He was dressed casually, white tunic and black pants (normally, if you disregarded how much the outlook cost). The boy flipped his hair behind him, watching them carefully. Noticing the person beside him, Naru squinted hard, until he recognized the other shadow too. "TenTen."

The girl with her hair in buns grinned, punching Neji lightly.

"Hay Naru! Oi, Neji, don't be a stick- you're scaring the kouhai's." Kiba probably was about to say something, but Naru's expert hand on his mouth stopped any action his lips might have taken.

"Are sempai's having a free period now?" TenTen nodded her hand still around Neji's shoulders. Sometimes, Naru though they were dating. But then he remembered Neji was asexual. Or liked to pretend he was. And that TenTen was happily dating some dude from out of town. K-something.

"Yup! Lee scared the crap out of Genma, so he gave us some free time- while he lectured him about exactly when was it allowed to streak naked." Naru snorted, approximately the same time Neji did. Ino pouted again, turning to Naru and grabbing his left arm.

"Naru honey, why aren't you introducing me?" Naru saw the way Neji's eyes drank the place Ino's and his bodies touched. He cleared his throat:

"Ino, Kiba- meet Neji Hyuga, Hinata's cousin and TenTen, his childhood friend." Neji barely gave a sign of approval while TenTen waved.

"Neji, TenTen… this is Kiba, my best friend." Kiba grinned proudly at the proclamation. Naru winced. "And Ino, my… girlfriend." Gah! He still had problems with that, it seemed.

TenTen whistled.

"Girlfriend Naru? And a hot one at that?" Ino blushed, clinging more to him. Naru debated blushing from feeling her breasts on his skin. TenTen grinned maliciously. "This is sooo going on my blog." Gah! TenTen and her obsession with blogging.

Ino's eyes widened and Naru could swear he saw stars in them.

"You blog? Awesome!"

While the girls entrained themselves with stories, blogs and whatnot… Naru had to endure Neji's stare of doom. OK, not doom, but close enough.

"I see you've finally found yourself some company, Uzumaki." Kiba decided it was a moment to but his head in, so he did:

"And about time he did! Can't let him mope around all by himself, can we?" Neji didn't deem him worthy enough of a look, glare or a respond.

"Uncle has been asking around for you." Naru grimaced. Hiashi wanting to see him was not a good thing. He would be forced to listen hours and hours of lectures… not to mention Hiashi's strange obsession with marrying him into Hyuga family. If not Hinata, then her younger sister surely.

"I'll… try to come and visit." Not! Neji, as if sensing the real response, huffed.

"Like I care what you do with your time. Just make sure not to get into any trouble." Meaning: No socializing with an Uchiha. Like he wanted that.

Ino and TenTen finally finished their talk; Ino came bouncing back to Naru's arms.

"Naru, let's go on a date!" And without further ado, she pulled him with that female strength, out of the company of a gloomy Hyuga, confused Kiba and grinning TenTen. "There's this new café TenTen recommended! She says they serve the best low fat sandwiches!"

He grunted, dejectedly walking to the locker room to get changed. Splendid. More unknown food.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ok, so the poll goes like this:**

**SasuNaru: 1**

**ShikaNaru: 1**

**KibaNaru: 1**

**KakaNaru: 1**

**Anybody that can stand up to Sasuke/Naru: 1**

**Vote on, readers and remember to review and let me now your opinion!**


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